Food trays intended to be supported directly on a user's lap are known in the art, as evidenced by U.S. Pat. No. 2,808,191 to Cramer. In particular, the prior art has suggested food trays which are specifically designed and configured with an emphasis on the structure by which a food tray is secured to the user's lap. As an example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,603 to Newman discloses a planar tray which includes two pairs of rigid knee clamps that are cantilevered from the lateral edges of the tray. The knee clamps are each biased inwardly against the outer surfaces of the user's legs by springs housed within the structure of the tray. As one can appreciate, the tray taught by Newman can readily generate a clamping force which will reliably secure the tray to the user's lap. However, significant disadvantages with the tray taught by Newman include the discomfort of the user due to pressure being continuously applied to his or her legs, and the inability to quickly remove the tray in circumstances where time is of the essence. A particularly notable example of such a circumstance is where the tray is used by an occupant of an automobile. In case of an accident, the ability of the user to quickly exit the automobile may be critical. However, the binding and restraining effect that the knee clamps have on the user's legs would significantly hinder the user's mobility, and therefore delay the user's exit.
Another example of a food lap tray is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,339 to Hood, Jr., which teaches a foldable structure having lateral portions which wrap around the user's legs and interlock beneath the user when seated. While Hood, Jr., reduces the potential for discomfort noted with the knee clamps taught by Newman, the interlocking configuration of the lateral portions tends to bind the user's legs so as to severely restrict the movement of the user. In addition, the tray taught by Hood, Jr., can be rather awkward to put on and remove, particularly if the user is seated within the confines of an automobile. In contrast to both Newman and Hood, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,375 to Flick does not rely on the user's legs to secure a food tray to the user's lap, but instead relies on the automobile lap belt to secure the food tray in place. Accordingly, the teachings of Flick are primarily limited to a food tray for use in an automobile. While the discomfort of a leg restraint is not present in the teachings of Flick, several disadvantages do exist. A first is that the food tray can be lifted off the lap of the user because the food tray is not physical secured to the user's lap. Secondly, the food tray is secured with the lap belt of an automobile, which may potentially interfere with the user's escape from the automobile in the case of an emergency.
Therefore it would be advantageous to provide a food lap tray which can be positively secured and stabilized on the lap of a user, yet will not cause discomfort to the user, and will not bind or restrain the legs of the user. It would also be desirable if such a food lap tray could be rapidly secured to and removed from the lap of the user, and could be secured without relying on other fastening systems used by the user. Importantly, it would be especially desirable if such a food lap tray were constructed and used so as not to hinder the user from rapidly exiting an automobile if immediate escape is necessary.